The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 11, Issue 6 (September 1, 1936)
The Railways and the Motor Industry
The Railways and the Motor Industry.
One interesting feature of the growth of the motor industry is the pronounced increase in the number of new motor vehicles conveyed by rail. At Home, motor vehicle agents and manufacturers are more and more entrusting the initial transport of motor cars to the railways, who have provided specially-designed covered vans for the transport of this traffic. Some of the special motor car trucks are capable of carrying two standard type cars, and are equipped with vacuum brakes for express freight train running,
and end doors to simplify loading and unloading. In some instances, where numbers of cars require to be conveyed at the same time, it is possible for cars to be driven through a whole train of covered vans. New cars conveyed by rail are thus delivered to showrooms in the same condition as that in which they are turned out by the makers. Cleaning and making ready for sale, which is necessary after cars have been driven through from the works under their own power, and the consequential expenses are saved, and the risk of the car engines being damaged by overdriving in the early stages are entirely eliminated.